N-myc oncogene expression is an important factor in neuroblastoma prognosis and biologic behavior. N-myc has been sporadically reported in rare other childhood tumors. Further antibody detection methods have recently become available. We have used a rabbit polyclonal antibody to detect the N-myc protein in tissue sections of the common tumors of childhood. We have further correlated these results with conventional Northern, Southern, and Western analysis of examples of each of these tumors. We find no evidence of N-myc amplification, expression, or protein accumulation in any of these tumors save neuroblastoma.